VENT. Autumn Grand Manan 9/1/2025-9/7/2025

ebird.org/tripreport/410267

Once again, our Autumn Grand Manan tour was a big success. Despite very challenging, foggy conditions, we tallied virtually all of our seabird targets on our boat trip into the Bay of Fundy & Gulf of Maine! We also enjoyed an excellent variety of landbird migrants; found the near-mythical Boreal Chickadee; got one huge, unexpected bonus bird; and had generally good weather with the exception of the fog. The lovely New Brunswick coastline and delicious food (think lobster and blueberry pie) added to our great experience.

Swallowtail Lighthouse, Grand Manan, New Brunswick, September 5, 2025, ©Barry Zimmer

Our trip began with a drive from Bangor, Maine to Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick. We didn’t stop much along the way but did manage to see a few Broad-winged Hawks perched on wires next to the highway, as well as Palm and Black-and-white warblers at our first bathroom stop. Near Bethel, we encountered our first mixed-species flock behind Ossie’s Restaurant. Chestnut-sided and Magnolia warblers at eye level, several Red-breasted Nuthatches and Black-capped Chickadees, a Red-eyed Vireo, and an unexpected pair of Red Crossbills topped the list—not bad for noontime birding on a travel day!

Magnolia Warbler, Bethel, New Brunswick, September 2, 2025, ©Barry Zimmer

In the town of Blacks Harbour, we had scope studies of Common Eider, Black Guillemot, Great Black-backed Gull, and Bonaparte’s Gull. We also tallied several Bald Eagles soaring over the harbor. Finally, it was time to board our ferry to Grand Manan. Conditions were perfect on the water, and we had a nice variety of birds along the way. Around 200 Great Shearwaters, a pair of Common Murres, a totally unexpected and rare South Polar Skua that flew right past us, Pomarine Jaeger, Black-legged Kittiwake, Red-necked Phalarope, and several Northern Gannets were among the birds seen from the ferry. We also had distant sightings of a few Humpback Whales that were putting on a wild show with pectoral fin flapping, tail lobbing, and full breaching. All in all, a very successful first day that concluded with a lobster dinner at the Marathon!

South Polar Skua, Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, September 2, 2025, ©Barry Zimmer

The next day was our all-day, charter boat trip out of Seal Cove on Grand Manan Island. Dense fog covered the water, and we knew that it was going to be a challenging day. By 9:00 AM we were on the boat and heading out into the Bay of Fundy. We had a Razorbill, briefly, right in the harbor, which seemed like a good sign. Early on, we saw several Black Guillemots, a close flock of Red-necked Phalaropes (we had over 500 for the day), a few Great Shearwaters, and a quick sighting of White-winged Scoters, but the fog made seeing much of anything difficult. A couple of hours in, we found a break in the fog and quickly tallied several close Atlantic Puffins and a few more Great Shearwaters, as well as superb views of both Wilson’s and Leach’s (uncommon and easily missed) storm-petrels. We topped off our boat trip with superb views of Great Cormorants on the rocks near Wood Island, a pair of Sooty Shearwaters right next to the boat, and unsurpassed looks at a few more Razorbills (we saw seven for the day). Razorbill, a North Atlantic specialty, can be tough on this tour, but we enjoyed amazing views on this day. On our way back to our hotel, we stopped briefly at Castalia Marsh, where a Nelson’s Sparrow sat up in the grass for good views.

Razorbill, Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, September 3, 2025, ©Brian Gibbons

The next two days of our tour were largely spent scouring the island looking for passerine migrants. We encountered many nice flocks, usually led by nuthatches and chickadees, and each with a different composition. A special note should be made of the massive Red-breasted Nuthatch invasion that we encountered this year. Our 2024 tour here had eight individuals for the entire trip, while this year we saw a nearly unbelievable 161 (including 97 in one day alone)!

Red-breasted Nuthatch, Bethel, New Brunswick, September 2, 2025, ©Barry Zimmer

As for warblers, we tallied eighteen species with 165 individuals. Our most common species were Black-throated Green (32), Common Yellowthroat (21), Northern Parula (18), and Black-and-white (18). An especially cooperative Ovenbird along the Dock Road was quite memorable, as were a bright fall Blackburnian on a utility wire and a male Black-throated Blue (rare; not seen by all) at Dark Harbour. We also had a few of the later arriving warbler species, like Bay-breasted, Blackpoll, Cape May, and Palm. Other notable passerine finds included Least Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Blue-headed, Philadelphia (uncommon; three total) and Red-eyed (an astounding 84 individuals) vireos, a pair of Boreal Chickadees on the Dark Harbour Road (first for the trip in four or more years), numerous Gray Catbirds, Baltimore Oriole, Red Crossbills (very sporadic and rather rare on this route), and Purple Finch. Cedar Waxwings were everywhere this year.

Blackburnian Warbler, Grand Manan, New Brunswick, September 4, 2025, ©Barry Zimmer

Other goodies seen on the island included Black and White-winged scoters, Red-throated Loon (early), Red-necked Grebe, Surf and Black scoters, American Golden and Black-bellied plovers, Solitary Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper (among 14 shorebird species seen), and wonderful, prolonged views of a male Merlin (voted the second favorite bird of the tour) hunting at Castalia Marsh.

Merlin, Grand Manan, New Brunswick, September 5, 2025, ©Barry Zimmer

One bird deserves special mention, however. On our final night on the island, we decided to go owling. In over thirty trips to Grand Manan, I had never had any success owling here despite several efforts (a combination of a bad time of year for owls to call and respond, and a very low density of owls). We ventured out the Dark Harbour Road with very low expectations but with crossed fingers. Astonishingly, in less than five minutes, we heard a Northern Saw-whet Owl calling, and, in relatively short order, spotted it right over our heads. We watched this beautiful little owl for over five minutes and obtained many great photos. Everyone who went out this night voted for this as a favorite bird of the tour. It was a truly magical experience!

Northern Saw-whet Owl, Grand Manan, New Brunswick, September 5, 2025, ©Barry Zimmer

It was, simply put, a wonderful tour. A successful boat trip combined with excellent passerine migration, decent shorebird variety (14 species), unexpected rarities and low-density species, and all under generally excellent (not counting the fog) weather conditions. Did I mention the blueberry pie and lobster? Also, how can I forget the 10^th Annual VENT Fall Classic (mini-golf)? I can’t wait to return next year!

Boreal Chickadee, Grand Manan, New Brunswick, September 5, 2025, ©Barry Zimmer

Five Favorite Birds of the Tour:

Northern Saw-whet Owl (eight votes)
Merlin (seven votes)
Atlantic Puffin (four votes)

Razorbill (four votes)

Boreal Chickadee (four votes)

Ovenbird (four votes)

Ovenbird, Grand Manan, New Brunswick, September 5, 2025, ©Barry Zimmer

A complete list of the birds recorded on our tour can be found at: https://ebird.org/tripreport/410267

Photo gallery.

Description for the next departure of this tour.

Barry Zimmer's upcoming tour schedule.

Brian Gibbons' upcoming tour schedule.

ITINERARY:

September 1 - arrival in Bangor, drive to Brewer for dinner

September 2 –drive from Bangor to Grand Manan via Hwy 9 and Canada Hwy 1 with stops in Bethel, Saint George Marsh and Blacks Harbour, ferry ride from Blacks Harbour to Grand Manan (65 species; 65 total)

September 3 – 8-hour boat trip out of Seal Cove, Grand Manan to Northeast Bank, The Prong, Black Rock and Wood Island; late afternoon stop at Castalia Marsh (40 species; 77 total)

September 4 – Marathon Inn grounds; The Whistle Road to Long Eddy Light; Ballfield Beach, Castalia Marsh, Bradford Cove Road (59 species; 98 total)

September 5 –Marathon Inn grounds, Dock Road, The Anchorage (including Long Pond), Castalia Marsh, Dark Harbour Road, Stanley Beach; evening owling (75 species; 115 total)

September 6 – Castalia Marsh, The Whistle Road, ride from Grand Manan to Blacks Harbour, drive to Bangor along Canada Highway 1 and Highway 9 in Maine (60 species; 121 total)

September 7 - departures for home (121 total species)